Man who confessed to ‘godly contract’ killing of former minister goes on trial

The man accused of murdering former health minister Els Borst by stabbing her multiple times goes on trial in Rotterdam on Tuesday in a hearing expected to last three days.

Bart van U is accused of killing Borst in February 2014 and his sister Lois in January 2015. He has confessed to both crimes.

At a pre-trial hearing in February, Bart van U, who was identified after a dna test, told judges he killed Borst because of the pro-euthanasia legislation she introduced. He also described the killing as a ‘godly contract’, news agency ANP said at the time.

Borst, who was murdered at her home in 2014, was stabbed 41 times, mostly in her face and hands. However, it took police several days to announce that the former doctor was the victim of a crime.

Bart van U was arrested in January 2015 on the suspicion of murdering his sister. Dna tests led to Borst’s murder being added to the charge sheet.

Borst, who served as health minister from 1994 to 2002, was murdered after returning home from a D66 conference in Amsterdam and was found dead in her garage.

Blunders

Broadcaster Nos said on Tuesday the case surrounding Bart van U is typified by legal and administrative blunders.

His serious psychological problems were well known in 2011 when he was constantly spotted wearing a bullet proof vest because he was afraid of terrorist attacks. He had been arrested several times for possession of illegal weapons but had refused treatment and was not forcibly detained.

The public prosecution department did not take a dna sample from him after his earlier arrest. Nor was he taken seriously after reporting to a police station and saying he feared that he might commit a crime, the broadcaster said.

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